1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, an image forming apparatus control method for reading an image to acquire image data, and a storage medium storing a program.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, cooperative performance of processing by an image forming apparatus and an external apparatus such as a PC has been implemented widely. The overall function cannot be achieved provided by a single image forming apparatus.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-186677 discloses an image forming apparatus using a pseudo push scan function. This function can simplify the arrangement of the image forming apparatus, providing the apparatus at low cost. In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-186677, the user selects a host PC name and PC-side scan parameter set (to be referred to as a profile) from choices representing host PC names and profiles displayed on the panel of the image forming apparatus. The user then transmits scanned image data to the host PC. The host PC performs image processing for the received image data based on an image processing method designated by a pull scan driver, and stores the resultant image data in a predetermined storage destination.
In addition to this pseudo push scan function, an extended copy function is implemented by cooperation between an image forming apparatus and an external apparatus such as a host PC, similar to the pseudo push scan function.
To implement the extended copy function, a dedicated driver capable of setting a profile is installed in the external apparatus, similar to the pseudo push scan function. In some cases, profile settings on the image forming apparatus side are different from those set by the driver on the external apparatus side. When the user sets a profile using the driver on the external apparatus side, the external apparatus functions predominantly and thus scanning is executed by giving priority to the profile on the external apparatus side.
This will be explained by exemplifying the color mode. The user can set the color mode when setting a profile. After setting the profile, the image forming apparatus is notified of the profile by polling, and registers the profile in the database of the image forming apparatus. The user checks a list of profiles on the image forming apparatus and selects a profile.
However, if the driver unintentionally rewrites the profile settings on the external apparatus side, the profile settings then differ from those registered in the image forming apparatus, outputting a scan result the user does not wants.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-269203 discloses a technique of transmitting scan data as monochrome data to an external apparatus regardless of a monochrome (black and white)/color mode key operation. The technique in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-269203 aims to execute scanning in accordance with profile settings in an image forming apparatus, but cannot solve the above-described problem that the profile settings differ from those in the external apparatus.